“There are few issues of more importance than the public’s right to know…All citizens must have timely, effective and affordable access to the documents which governments make and keep.”
– Gordon Campbell, 1998

The 1990s were Canada 's high-water mark for government transparency and public access to information. In most Canadian provinces, freedom of information acts were either passed or imminent. British Columbia 's FOI act, passed in 1992, was considered the country's finest at the time.

Then came a new century and with it an apparent loss of will toward openness. Critics say that, in British Columbia and around the world, government transparency has diminished over the last seven years.

Ironically, this is happening at a time when new and innovative ways of providing government services continue to appear. Technology should make it easier than ever to advance government openness and create a free flow of information to the public.

The second BC Information Summit will bring together policymakers, experts and information seekers from all sectors to grapple with two fundamental questions: How can we meet the growing challenges to openness and how can we strengthen the public's right to know in an adversarial world?

The BC Information Summit is presented by

BC Freedom of Information & Privacy Association

BC Library Association

Canadian Taxpayers Federation

UBC School of Journalism

And co-sponsored by

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia

BC Civil Liberties Association

BC Coalition of People
with Disabilities

Canadian Newspaper Association

Canadian Office & Professional Employees Union

Trial Lawyers Association of BC

Western Canada Wilderness Committee

The Tyee

Canadian Union of Public Employees BC

BC and Yukon Community Newspaper Association

BC Persons with AIDS Society

THE BC INFORMATION SUMMIT --
Friday October 5, 2007

The second BC Information Summit brings together academics, legal experts, journalists, present and past elected officials and experienced Freedom of Information requesters from every sector of society. Together, they shall explore the challenges and solutions of creating an open government and a free flow of information to the public.

RIGHT TO KNOW WEEK

The BC Information Summit is part of Right to Know Week in Canada. To learn more about Right to Know Week, including other events and workshops, click the button below.